Our house was kinda' like Joey's, not rich at all. My Mom found ways to make a meal out of very little of inexpensive ingredients. I never realized until I was older and had to provide for myself, that what she was doing by...
I have to agree with Miss KK, shrimp as a separate dish.
Also, I like my 'shrooms stuffed with sausage, maybe some hot Italian and some shallots/onions, some garlic.
Or just a straight up mushroom & bread/cracker...
I've never made poached pears in wine before, but just a thought...
what if you displaced the wine with the whole lemons, uncut, or something else. Using a larger pan to accommodate the pears and lemons, wouldn't you be using...